Chapter 12: The Drone

Lin Cheng's proposal was quickly embraced. After all, if they could live above ground, it would be far better than staying underground indefinitely.

Although the walls of the underground shelter were reinforced metal and strong enough, they couldn't stop the cold and dampness. The feeling of perpetual darkness and staleness underground was hard to endure for anyone.

Not only Lin Cheng's parents, but Lin Cheng himself was filled with anticipation, as it was also his first time seeing the surface structure of the shelter.

The surrounding walls were airtight, the massive iron gates were impregnable, and the layout of the ground-level building was a perfect 1:1 match of the rooms in the underground shelter. It was as if the entire underground shelter had been replicated and placed above ground.

Lin Cheng looked at the enormous structure, nodding with satisfaction. He could now reorganize the underground shelter later, storing all resources there while using the above-ground structure for other purposes—perhaps even converting part of it into a small farmland.

First, Lin Cheng and his parents carried the necessary survival supplies they would need over the next few days from the underground shelter to the surface building. Most of the supplies were left below since moving everything at once would be time-consuming and exhausting.

After that, Lin Cheng turned his attention to using the drones to observe the outside world.

His last trip to the city was short and focused on gathering iron, so he hadn't had a chance to closely assess the state of the outside world. Although his guesses were likely accurate, without firsthand information, it was still unreliable.

The drone footage could be received and displayed on Lin Cheng's laptop. Sitting in his room, he controlled the drones to fly toward the city while closely watching the transmitted footage.

This time, he sent out four drones, mainly because he was inexperienced in operating them. It was his first time using the drones to scout the outside world, and any mistakes in control could attract unwanted attention. Since each drone consumed a significant amount of iron to make, Lin Cheng was hesitant to lose them unnecessarily.

To make tracking easier, Lin Cheng numbered the four drones from one to four.

Drone 1 was sent to the western part of the city, the area most devastated. Almost all the buildings had collapsed, and those still standing were severely damaged.

After scouring the west side for a long time, Drone 1 found no signs of life. Lin Cheng's heart sank. The situation outside was worse than he'd imagined. If his memory served him right, the western part of the city was the closest to their shelter. The devastation in this outer zone suggested that the central parts of the city and other shelters could be in even worse shape.

Drone 2 was dispatched to the eastern district. Compared to the western side, the destruction here was less severe. Through the drone's high-definition camera, Lin Cheng could make out faint signs of human activity. However, he didn't move in for a closer look, preferring to observe from a distance.

The most surprising sight was a chubby middle-aged man on top of a tall building. He appeared to have spotted Drone 2 and quickly lifted a white T-shirt with a large "SOS" scrawled in ink. Lin Cheng had no choice but to steer Drone 2 away. For now, all he could do was focus on self-preservation. Protecting himself and his family was already overwhelming; saving others was beyond his capacity.

The shelter was large enough, but the shortage of supplies remained the biggest challenge.

Drone 3 headed to the northern district, where a brutal massacre was unfolding. It seemed a temporary shelter had been discovered by alien creatures. A dozen panicked people were fleeing, but they were all surrounded and killed by a few wolf-like creatures. The scene was so horrific that Lin Cheng could barely stand to watch.

The only good news came from Drone 4, which had flown to the southern district. It appeared unnervingly peaceful, as if untouched by the reckoning. There were no visible bloodstains on the ground, suggesting the residents had likely evacuated to the western district's shelters. Without humans in the area, there were fewer alien creatures present.

Lin Cheng commanded the other three drones to return to the shelter, focusing his attention on Drone 4 as it descended closer to the ground to search for supplies.

Small supermarkets had already been looted. Shelves were bare, with even the condiment section picked clean. It was likely that these smaller stores had been emptied before the reckoning even began. Lin Cheng shifted his focus to the larger shopping malls.

These malls housed numerous restaurants, and he hoped to find usable food supplies there. Although the apocalypse hadn't been going on for long, and the lack of electricity meant refrigeration systems had stopped working, some of the stored food might still be salvageable.

Besides the restaurants, the large supermarket warehouses might hold some untouched supplies.

Even if the haul wasn't much, every bit would help.

The mall's front doors were tightly locked, and breaking them open through normal means seemed impossible. Fortunately, the drones were sturdy and had some destructive power, products of the system's craftsmanship.

After circling the area to confirm there were no alien creatures lurking nearby, Lin Cheng directed Drone 4 to crash through the mall's glass door.

Bang!

A loud noise echoed as the glass shattered, with shards raining down. The mall had long lost power, but the drone's night vision capabilities allowed it to navigate effortlessly.

The first floor was filled with jewelry and phone stores, holding no interest for Lin Cheng, so he moved on.

The second floor, mostly clothing and shoe stores, had little to offer either, despite a few restaurants being present.

Finally, on the third floor, in the storage room of a hotpot restaurant, Lin Cheng found some thawed meat that was still usable.